The Boy That Survived
by lululoves
Summary: An updated version of the old one Cedric Diggory befriends Emma Thompason, OC, best friend of Harry Potter since childhood and ex-girlfriend of Ron Weasley. Throughout Cedric's sixth year they find freindship and love, even with the tournament happening
1. The Meeting

Emma Thomas lay on the cold stone floor, her right cheek pressed against the stone and her small body sprawled out, the mass of blonde curls covering her face. Tears spilled from her ocean blue eyes, down her rosy cheeks and over her slender chin to land on the stone beneath her.

"I don't ever want to see you again" she heard his angry voice echo in her mind.

"You are nothing to me" he had told her as she begged him not to do this.

Her fight with Ron had taken place more than three hours earlier and Emma hadn't moved from her spot on the cold, stone floor since then. The memory flashed in her mind when he walked into the Common Room and jumped to conclusions when he saw her and Harry in front of the fire before he started yelling at her. She had climbed the long staircase and entered his room to try and fix the situation when she saw them, Ron and Lavender.

"We can be together now at least" Lavender had said and Emma's blood boiled

"You hypocrite" she yelled and Ron turned to look at her. "I...how dare you" Emma screamed and shoved him "You cheated on me with my best friend" he yelled and she broke into tears

"He was helping me with a present for you for our anniversary" she cried and fled the room.

Cedric's boots tapped on the stones as he walked down the old hallway, a quick way out of the school without facing Cho. He knew it was wrong to be avoiding her but she was just so annoying sometimes. He saw the small figure in the corner of the hallway and made his way towards it, cautiously. He bent down to the small figure and pushed the mass of blonde curls from the face and sighed when he saw the blue eyes starring into the distance.

"Emma?" he asked and she moved her eyes till they landed on him. He didn't know her very well but she was a friend of Harry Potter and was dating the Weasley boy. "What?" she asked, barely a whisper. "What's wrong?" he asked her. She sat up and looked at him under heavy lids "He…oh god" she sobbed and fell against his chest. He stumbled back at the force but stabled himself before he started rubbing her back in gentle motions.

"What happened?" he asked her. "He accused me of cheating on him…with Harry of all people! I went upstairs to try and explain and he was with her…Lavender" she told him in a sassy tone. He stared at her for a moment, silently comparing her to Lavender; she wasn't the most beautiful witch he'd seen but she was defiantly good looking. She had the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen, with fairly tanned skin, high cheek bones that always seemed to sparkle under the lighting in the Great Hall, plump lips with a body that was easy on the eyes.

"He's been with her for a while now, at least that's what Pavarti told me" she said and then started up again. "We were together for two years and he chooses her" she sobbed. He was never good with crying girls but had seen his father interact with his mother when she cried and used a few of the things he'd seen.

"He's an idiot then if he can't see how much better you are" Cedric told her sincerely, standing to offer her his hand. "Thanks, but are we talking about the same Lavender? She's gorgeous" she told him as he walked her out of the cold hallway. "She is, but so are you. Besides, her look is much more fake while yours is more conventional I suppose, natural is the word I think" he told her and she blushed through a weak smile. "You should smile more" he told her and gave her the smile that could make any girls heart melt.

"Thank you" she told him. "I'm sorry I rambled about my problems like that" she told him and he shook his head as they entered a slightly more crowded hallway. "No problem" he told her. "I…I guess I better get going, I have to find Hermione" Emma told him and he smiled "I got Quittich practice in…oh about now" he told her, looking at his watch with a laugh that she found contagious. She whipped her tears away with the back of her hand and looked up at him "You're a good guy Cedric" she told him and left. He watched her head off towards the library and sighed before he turned and ran towards the pit.


	2. Becoming Friends

Months passed and Cedric forgot all about his encounter with Emma and Emma managed to change her appearance, Hermione's idea, to help her get over Ron; the blonde hair reminded her of Lavender, a reminder she did not need. Her once shoulder length, blonde, curly hair was now elbow length, a darker blonde, still curly but with auburn highlights in her hair. Over the months Emma lost weight, too much weight in Harry, Hermione and Ginny's opinion, her once curvy body was now slim and almost flat like; her hips narrowed, her legs slimmed, her stomach seemed to shrink in width, her arms were boney and her hip bones jutted out.

Emma walked down the cool hallway towards the library with her head bowed, avoiding the stares of her fellow school mates. She sighed and pushed thru the heavy doors with her thin arms and sought solitude in the back of the library where no one could see her cry. As she was writing her Potion's essay she looked to her left and saw the brown waves and the tall body of Cedric, leaning up to grab a book off the shelf. Turning to go back to his table he saw her, giving her bright smile.

"Care to join me?" he asked, pointing to the seat at the table.

She smiled at him before standing and gathering her stuff before walking towards his table. She sat down and began working on her essay again in silence as he watched her. "Cho and I broke up" he told her when she looked up at him. "I heard" she told him before looking back at her work.

"Why?" she asked, raising her blue eyes from the paper to him.

"She…we weren't right for each other. She was too clingy and too whiney, I need someone strong" he told her and she nodded her head "Not a damsel in distress kind of guy then?" she joked "Nope, no damsel for me, just the heroine of the story" he told her with a wink. She blushed but held his gaze. She glanced down quickly before she pushed her book out of her way before setting her elbows on the table.

"So, that heroine, found her yet?" she asked him with an easy smile.

"Found your prince charming?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Nope" she told him. "Me either" he said and they laughed. "We're a sad bunch then, aren't we?" she asked him, setting her work aside for later. "So, we could be a sad bunch together, friends?" he asked and held his hand out. She inspected it for a moment before she smiled. "Why not" she said, taking his hand and they shook on it.

"Tell me about yourself, friend" Cedric flirted and she smiled as he helped her put her stuff away. "Well, I'm 15, I like the color peach, I like roses, I'm loud, I'm dorky, I'm not graceful at all…I don't like Quittich" she told him. "Don't like Quittich?! What kind of witch are you?" Cedric gasped and she laughed. "I don't like heights either" she told him "Well…that's understandable, I guess" he told her.

"Tell me about yourself, friend" she told him "I'm 17 going on 18 in October, I like the color gold, I don't really like flowers, I'm reserved not quite, I'm too cool for this place, I tend to be graceful, and truthfully, I don't love Quittich, but tell anyone and I'll kill you" he told her and she laughed an airy laugh that he decided he could listen to all the time. "I promise not to tell a soul, but Mr. Seeker doesn't like Quittich, some good blackmail material there" she told him between breaths and he smirked.

"I suppose" he told her. She bid him goodbye before she rushed towards her Common Room and went in to change. Later that night, while Cedric made his rounds as the Hufflepuff prefect he heard gentle music playing a floor above him. He smiled to himself thinking he'd get to take points away for a student being out of bed but was surprised at what he found. Emma twirled high on her toes dressed in white stockings underneath a black leotard, pink pointe shoes on her feet, a dark red sweater over her torso and her hair in a bun. She sashayed around the room in beat to the music and dipped and spun then jumped in an eloquent split in the air and landed on her toes. She ended in a deep arch, arms above her head and out of breath. Cedric smirked and walked away, "Good blackmail material" he told himself and kept walking.


	3. The Tournament

Emma walked up the high steps of the Quittich pitch with Ginny as they sought a place to sit. Emma took Ginny's hand in hers and pushed thru the throng of people and took a seat in the third row.

"So, who's playing again?" Emma asked Ginny as she scanned the pit.

"Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, do you know nothing?" Ginny joked and Emma smiled.

"Nope, I don't like Quittich, you know that" she told her and watched as Hufflepuff warmed up.

She watched Cedric as he raced around the pit after the practice snitch and sighed, he was way too good looking. She smiled to herself when he almost fell off his broom and let out a laugh when he steadied himself. Madam Hooch blew the whistle and the game started. She watched as Ravenclaw scored point after point and the crowd off people cheered while others booed. She saw Cedric take off into the sky and watched as he dipped and climbed higher and higher until he was out of sight and she moved her eyes back to the pit when Ravenclaw scored yet again.

"And Cedric Diggory has the snitch, Hufflepuff wins!" she heard Lee yell into the microphone, bringing her out of her daze before she clapped along with the crowd.

"Nice game Ced" Emma told him and he smiled before giving her a sweaty hug; she felt her heart stop and her breath catch in her chest. "Thanks Em, I thought we were going to loose there for a moment. But then I saw the snitch and just took off after it" he told her when he pulled away with a huge smile on his face "I'm proud then" she told him. "Wait here" he told her. "Alright" she said.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at her but she ignored her friend before taking a seat on a bench and waited for him to emerge from the locker rooms. She watched the crowd of people disappear from the pit, making their way back to the school and he emerged as her head was turned. "Ok, let's go" he told her and she stood up and took his offered arm.

"So, how's your classes going?" he asked her as they trudged up the hill. "Fine, potions is getting harder and harder, I don't think I'm going to make it" she told him as they reached the top of the hill and he laughed. "I hate potions, and I'm sure you'll be fine" he told her and she shook her head. "I hear you but it's doubtful, he's got it in for me" she told him and he laughed. "What's that?" she asked him and he looked to the skies and saw the carriage with flying horses swooping down towards the school.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure we don't want to be standing here when that lands" he told her and took her hand and they ran to the covering. Emma was pushed against the railing and Cedric stayed close by her while the throng off people pushed to see what was going on and as the shoving got worse Cedric pushed her in front of him to block her small body from the pushing and pressed her against the railing standing directly behind her. Emma felt her cheeks burn as he pressed against her and felt her heart rate soar when his hand brushed against her hip.

During dinner that night Dumbledore explained the Tri-Wizard tournament to the school and Cedric nodded his head; he was going to enter, he just had to talk to Emma first. He looked around at his closet friends, Scott, Peter and John before he turned his head to look at Emma; during the past months she had become one of his best friends, a person he trusted with anything.

"So, I was thinking about entering" he told her the next day as they sat in the Hall watching as people entered their name into the cup. "Oh, isn't it dangerous?" she asked him and he nodded his head, turning to look at her. "Yes, some have died but I won't let that happen" he told her, she nodded her head and stared ahead blankly. "I...I just don't want anything to happen to you" she told him and bite her lip to stop the tears.

"Hey, look at me" he told her and lifted her chin so her eyes met his.

"I'm not going to die, I probably won't even be chosen" he told her and used his thumb to wipe away her tears.

"I know that, but there's still a possibility" she told him and brown eyes watched the pair from the back row of bleachers set up.

"I know that, but I could die just as easily walking down the steps every morning or playing Quittich" he told her and she laughed.

"I know that, just...if you're chosen don't die" she told him and he smiled at her "Thanks" he told her and kissed her cheek before he left.

The next day Emma sat with Hermione as they watched Fred and George fight over whose idea it was to make the aging potion and who did it wrong. The crowd grew silent as Viktor Krum entered the Hall, putting his name in the fire and the flame turned blue. He turned, his eyes catching Hermione's and he smiled at her. She gave him a small smile, a blush creeping up on her cheeks before she looked down at her book as he left.

"Someone's got a crush" Emma sang quietly in her ear and Hermione hit her with her book.

"Do not" she said sternly, but still blushed.

"Look" Hermione said and Emma looked up from her essay and watched Cedric cross the age line, tossing his name in the fire. It flashed blue and he smiled as Emma watched him jumped on Peter and she smiled. "Someone's got a crush" Hermione sang under her breath as Cedric walked towards them. "Shut it' Emma said crossly and smiled at Cedric.

"So, you did it?" she asked him, standing to take his offered hand "I did it, now all we have to do is wait" he told her as they made their way out of the Great Hall, Hermione watching them with a knowing smile. "Yeah" she said "Just wait for your name to be called" she told herself. "And our last champion, from Hogwarts is...Cedric Diggory" Dumbledore yelled and Cedric smiled and stood up. Emma felt all blood drain from her face as she struggled to breathe normally but smiled nervously from her spot as he walked towards her, kissing her cheek as he passed. She watched him leave thru the door and let out a shaky breath, she was scared for him.

"Harry Potter" Dumbledore said quietly and everyone looked around.

"Harry Potter" he said louder and Emma looked up.

"Well, go on" she told him giving him a push and watched him go thru the doors as the students whispered. "That's absurd, you're only a 4th year Harry, and it's just not fair" she told him as they walked to their Herbology class.

"It's the rules, my name was called so I'm in the Tournament" he told her.

"Why did you put your name in?" she asked, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"I didn't, don't be like Ron" he told her and she took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, that was a low blow" he told her.

Harry had been her best friend since they meet almost 11 years earlier one night outside of his house. She had thrown the ball too far, going to retrieve it she found him holding the red ball in his hands when she ran over, her blonde curls bouncing.

"Can I have my ball back?" she asked him in a small voice, swaying on her feet.

"Sure, can I play?" he asked her and she nodded her head vigorously, her blonde curls swaying with her movements.

"Yeah" she said and took his hand.

"Want to be my best friend?" she had asked and he nodded his head and they never looked back.

"It's alright, it still hurts I guess" she told him. "So, you're a champion?" she asked him and he nodded his head. "I wont die" he told her and she smiled "I know" she told him. Now, both her boys were in the Tournament.


	4. The First Task

Emma watched the pair of boys with worried eyes; the first task was in two hours and they didn't even look scared. She was glad Cedric was being friendly towards Harry; the rest of the school still seemed to think Harry had cheated and were being extremely rude to the boy. Emma sighed, rolling her eyes and watched them step into the tent before taking a deep breath and standing with Hermione. The two girls made their way thru the crowd towards the back of the tent.

"Harry?" she asked thru the curtain and Harry looked at the curtain "Emma?" he asked and stepped closer. "Yeah, Hermione's here too" she told him. Cedric looked towards Harry and saw him whispering to the curtain before he shook his head and laughed. "Are you scared?" Hermione asked him "Not really" he said. "Well you've just got to concentrate then you just have to..." Emma said, trailing off "Fight a dragon, yeah" he told her and the two girls made a squealing noise before throwing the curtain aside and launching themselves at him.

"I' m scared" Emma told him after Hermione had stepped back to let the two talk and he hugged her closer to his body.

"I'll be alright" he told her and she smiled. "I know" she said.

Cedric watched with jealous eyes as Emma hugged Harry, how he wished it was him. "Alright, I'll be back" she told Harry and ran towards Cedric "Hey, remember your promise" she told him and kissed his cheek as he smiled down at her. "I remember" he whispered in her hair. "Alrighty then I guess I can go then?" she aksed and her boys nodded their heads. "Right then, be careful guys" she told them, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. She made her way back to her seat with Hermione and saw Ron sitting in the spot next to Hermione's seat. "This isn't going to be awkward at all" she told herself and rolled her eyes before taking her seat.

Emma sat biting her nails as the cannon sounded and Cedric entered the pit taking a look around. She saw the dragon before he did and the next thing she knew his arm was on fire and Cedric was shouting spells at the flames, trying desperately to extinguish the flames while trying to hide from the dragon. She screamed when he jumped out of the way of the deadly tail just in time and smiled when he grabbed the dragon's egg, holding it high above his head with a smile. She clapped her hands and excused herself before standing to walk towards the tent. She took a deep breath before she stepped inside.

"Hey Emma" Peter said from his spot next to Cedric. "Hey Pete" she said as she stepped further into the tent, his friends parting so she could stand by his side.

"Are you alright?" she asked him as she looked at his burn.

"Yeah, just a scratch" he told her and she hit him.

"It is not, you're bleeding" she told him as a tear slid down her cheek. "Hey, I'm fine" he told her, lifting her chin to look at him "I told you not to enter" she whispered and he pulled her to him with his good arm. "I know darling and I'm sorry" he joked and she smiled up at him.

"No dying" she told Harry, after she excused herself from Cedric's side and he smiled at her. "And leave your pretty face, I don't think so" he joked and she kissed his forehead, right next to his scar, as she always did. She sat with Cedric for a few moments before she walked towards the front of the tent, where it entered the pit. She saw Harry jump onto his broom and fly away and she smiled. She let out a horrified cry when she dragon broke free from its restraints and flew after Harry.

"What's going on?" Cedric asked, sitting up as his friends turned their heads toward her. "He…the dragon, and flying and he's flying towards Harry, they're gone" she blabbered, not making any sense. "That doesn't make any sense" Scott said. She turned towards the group and tried to calmly explain what had happened.

"He's shit out of luck, that kid is" John said and she glared at him. "Sorry?" he asked and she nodded her head at him as Cedric laughed. When the task was finished she bid goodbye to Cedric and made her way back to her common room with Harry.

"How do you suppose I open this thing?" Cedric asked her a few days later as the two stared at the golden egg sitting in front of them on the grass near the Black Lake.

"Not sure" she said as she inspected it.

"You tried opening it already and it screamed at you?" she asked and he nodded his head.

"Yeah that happened when Harry opened it too, right before him and Ron had their talk" she said as she poked it.

"I doubt poking it is going to get it to not scream at me when I open it" he joked as he watched her from his spot underneath the large oak tree.

"Hey, at least I'm trying here" she told him, turning her head to glare at him. She let out a loud laugh when he pounced on her, pilling her onto his lap as he tickled her "I give up!" she screamed as she tried to pull away from his grip.

"Maybe you should open it in the bath?" she suggested an hour later as they sat in the library.

"What good would that do?" he asked as he shut his Charms book and looked at her.

"I don't know we've tried everything else just about" she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, it could work I suppose, I'll try it later and let you know how it goes" he said as he stood.

"Oh please, tell me how your bath goes" she said dramatically and he winked at her. "Didn't know you thought of me like that Emma" he joked before he left, missing her blush.


	5. Talking to Ron

The next day, getting in one of her moods, Emma walked alone down by the lake and took her usual seat by the waters edge. She came out here to think sometimes, something about the way the water moved calmed her and brought back memories for her of happier days. Ron had taken her here for their first date only two years prior to that day.

"Hey" she heard behind her and turned to find Ron standing there, his hands in his pockets

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked her and she looked at him for a moment before motioning him to sit next to her. "Doesn't seem too long ago does it?" he asked her and she stared ahead. "I don't suppose so, only a couple of months" she told him and brought her knees to her chest.

"I don't think I ever said sorry" Ron told her and she cocked her head to the left and shook her head, saying a silent no.

"I should have told you about Lav when things started to progress with her but I didn't want to lose you Em" he told her and she took a deep breath, trying to push the tears away.

"Yeah you should have but you didn't Ron, that's the thing, you acted like you didn't even care and your little jealous rage was that excuse you needed to get rid of me...I was a fool to think you actually cared about me" Emma said, keeping her eyes on the water.

"I did care Emma; you were my world, you were my sun, the moon, the wind, the water...you were my everything" he told her and took her hands in his.

"Once upon a time" she told him and he laughed.

"You used to start all your stories like that, a habit of yours from those stories you used to tell James" he said with a soft laugh and she smiled at the mention of her little brother.

"He's six now" she told him and he smiled. "The big six eh, I remember vaguely when Ginny turned six. She had big pink balloons and Charlie gave her a piggy back ride to that little pond by the woods" Ron said and Emma smiled.

"Well, there were no pink balloons and piggy back rides but he did have a huge cake with Superman on it" Emma told him and turned towards him slightly.

"One of those super heroes he loves so much? I thought he loved Batman?" Ron asked with a smile.

"The heart of a six year old child changes often" Emma told him and then laughed for the first time in ages. He stared at her as she laughed with a small smiled.

"Do that" Ron told her. "Do what?" she asked him and raised an eyebrow "Laugh, smile, something other than sulking" he told her. "I do not..." "Sulk" they said at the same time and Ron gave her a small smile.

"You do too. I miss you Em, this is what I want...me and you hanging out like old times" Ron told her and she stood and rubbed her hands on her jeans.

"I do too Ron, I miss those days but we can never go back to how it used to be" she told him with a sad smile. "Do you love her?" she asked, looking down at her feet. "I think I could...never as much as I loved you but it could happen" Ron told her and she looked up at him.

"If you loved me so much, why you did it?" she asked him. From behind the tree Cho leaned closer to the conversation and smiled and ran off to tell Cedric all about this little talk between the ex lovers. Cho knew the reason he had broken up her and it was a legitimate reason, they had been growing apart, but she planned on getting him back. If her plan was going to work, she needed Emma not to be in the picture.

"I...I don't know really. I suppose...no, I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did. One moment we're talking about our potions essay and the next she's all over me and she's different than you. I don't really want to talk about it because I don't want to hurt you" Ron told her.

"You cheated on me, I have the right to know why" Emma told him. Ron tucked a stray hair behind her ear before he started again.

"She's feisty, smart, funny, a bit of a pain in the ass, loud and out there. She listens to me and understands when I don't need help, you…well you try to help everyone. I don't know why I did what I did but I made a mistake " he told her and she nodded her head.

"Once upon a time, you loved me too Ron" Emma said and hugged him.

"Be happy Ron, that's all I've ever and will ever want for you and if she breaks you're heart, I'll be there to kick her ass" Emma said and kissed his cheek.

"I better go, it's getting cold" Emma told him and walked away. "Are you coming?" she asked him and he looked at her then the lake "I brought you here because this places reminds me of you" he told her and she looked at him and smiled as the rain started to pour. "Ron, come on, it's raining and we'll catch a cold out here" she told him hugging her sweater to her. "Let me say this, then we'll go inside" he told her and she sighed "Fine" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The water was always so calm when I was here, something about my emotions or something like that. The waves were soft, like you. You're gentle and kind and so full of love and life like the waves and the ripples. You're laugh was like the wind, light and airy and something you would want to hear for the rest of your life. You love like there's nothing to it, like it's the easiest thing in the world. You laugh with your whole body, from the tips of that soft hair to your perfect little toes. You cry for those who have no one to cry for them...Emma, you're the ocean, you're the waves, the wind and the sun and don't ever let someone take that from you" he told her and she smiled thru her tears.

"Thank you" she told him and he took her by the elbow "You're the reason I'm still alive, when dad died I thought that was it for me but you brought me back, you didn't give up on me and I won't let you give up on me" he told her and she smiled and let out a deep breath.

"Ron, once upon a time ago you were it for me, you were my everything but the minute you cheated, you lost that and now...now you're just Ron to me, the boy I was in love with, the boy who kissed me first, the first for everything Ron. I will, could never, not love you Ron, I will always love you and when you need me, I won't give up on you" she told him with a smiled.

"Jump on" he told her and she smiled before jumping on his back and wrapping her legs and arms around him as he ran towards the castle as friends.

"So... are we friends again?" Ron asked as Emma came down with Ginny and Hermione and she looked at his hand before she took it and pulled him into a hug "Always and forever" she told him and shook her wet curls on him and he laughed before tickling her.

"I realized something tonight, that even though those who hurt you the most are still the ones you love most" Emma told Ginny.

"I wish you two were still together" Ginny told her. "I used to too" she told the red head and Ginny smiled.

"But hey, you got the Quittich captain now, so it's all good...Oh Cedric you're so dreamy" Ginny said in a mock high pitched voice.

"Can it Ginny" Emma said and thru a pillow at her head and knocked the young girl off the bed. "FOUL" Ginny yelled and Emma laughed. "This isn't a game Ginny, just a friendly exchange of pillows being tossed at ones head at high speeds" Emma said before throwing another one. The two girls tossed pillows and jumped on their beds, laughing so hard they cried. That night Emma dreamed of Cedric, for the first time.


End file.
